Folding structure for mattresses

ABSTRACT

A folding structure for mattresses having a bearing surface and a support structure having at least one hinge area with the bearing surface and configured to fit externally to and removably from a mattress. The support structure may have a first dimension which is variable to fit the thickness of a mattress and a second dimension which is variable to change the position of the hinge area.

The present disclosure relates to a folding structure having a foldingbearing surface and a support structure suitably configured to bedetachably arranged on a mattress.

Bed assemblies including a mechanism for hinging a mattress in order totilt at least one portion thereof and arrange it in a desired positionare currently known. A conventional option for tilting at least oneportion of a mattress is through a mechanism that is part of the basewhere the mattress rests, or through an internal mechanism withstructures hinging the mattress from the inside. However, these aremechanisms that are fixed to the mattress structure such that they arenot practical, especially in the case where it is necessary to replacethe mattress with another.

In order to try to solve this problem, a simple and very efficientfolding structure has been devised, which is intended to be placed on aconventional mattress so that it can be easily, comfortably and quicklyremoved from the mattress at any time by the user. With the system thatis described hereinbelow, it is possible to change the characteristicsof a mattress, for example enlarging its surface, or even closing it soas to form a barrier in order to prevent a person from falling to theground. This possibility is advantageously maintained even when themattress has to be replaced by another one, although it hascharacteristics different from the previous one.

The folding structure provided herein is configured to be arranged on aconventional mattress and it has a support surface that is configuredfor supporting a person's head, supporting the person's feet or even forplacing objects thereon, thus acting as a bedside table. Otherapplications, such as lateral tilting of the user's body are however notruled out. This particular application is very useful in cases of sickpeople bedridden on a mattress for a long time, since the position ofthe person on her/his sides can be changed, avoiding always lying on theback uniformly.

For this purpose, the bearing surface may be formed of a substantiallyrigid plane or by a perimetric structure at least substantiallysurrounding a flexible element, such as fabric, etc. The bearing surfacemay be or include a mattress or cushion portion, especially whenintended to rest a person's head or for supporting person's feet. Thebearing surface may also be configured, for example, to receive aportion of a supplementary mattress intended to be placed on a mainmattress.

The present folding structure further includes a support structure. Thissupport structure has at least one hinge area to the support surface.The support structure is suitably configured to fit externally to andremovably from a mattress of any type.

In a preferred, but not limiting, example, the bearing surface is hingedto two support structures. In some cases, it may be desirable to have anumber of folding structures on a mattress, for example to have twoheadboards, two footboards, two bedside tables, etc. In this case, thehinge area of the support structure with the bearing surface could beshared so that two adjacent support structures have a common hinge area.Cases where a number of fixed hinge areas are provided in the samesupport structure to be able to hinge the bearing surface in a properposition as required or desired are not ruled out. Cases where variablehinge areas are provided are also not ruled out. This case will bedescribed further below.

In some cases, it may be provided that the support structure has a firstdimension which is variable so that the folding structure can suitablybe adapted to the thickness of a mattress. Said first dimension of thesupport structure could, for example, be a separation distance betweentwo clamping elements configured for inserting a mattress therebetween.By making the relative position of these two clamping elements variableso that the separation distance can be modified, it is possible, on theone hand, for the support structure to be advantageously adapted to anycommercially available mattress and, on the other hand, for the foldingstructure to be capable of being applied to and removed from themattress in a quick, easy and comfortable way by the user.

In this regard, a pressing element, for example formed by the two abovementioned clamping elements, configured for reducing the firstdimension, may be provided in order to suitably adjust the supportstructure to the thickness of the mattress so that the folding structureis mounted securely attached to the mattress in a use position.

As mentioned above, in some cases a variable hinge area may be provided.Thus, the support structure may have a second dimension that is variableso as to change the position of the hinge area of the support structurewith the bearing surface. That is, the second dimension of the supportstructure may be a separation distance between the hinge area and oneedge of the mattress. Thus, the hinge area may, for example, be arrangedproximate an edge of the mattress or remote therefrom a distance asdesired. This would in some cases allow the bearing surface to extendbeyond the contour of the mattress, if required. In any case, causingthe relative position of the hinge area and the edge of the mattress tobe variable, it is possible for the support structure to be folded indifferent positions on the plane of the mattress.

Although it is preferred that the support structure is formed by atleast a C-shaped section member configured for fitting the thickness ofa mattress, for example formed by two brackets, the support structuremay have other configurations and it may be formed, for example, by oneor more L-shaped section members configured for fitting the thickness ofa mattress. It is also envisaged that the support structure has a lowerportion configured for being inserted into a bed base, canapé or thelike. In this particular case, the support structure may be formed by atleast one I-shaped section member with a bottom portion suitable forbeing inserted into a bed base, canapé or the like, as stated above.

In one example, the support structure has two of said section members,which can be joined to each other by at least one cross member. It isenvisaged that the section members may be joined together by a surfacesuch as, for example, a flat surface.

It is preferred that the bearing surface is allowed to be rotated a widerange of appropriate angles. In particular, it is preferred to use hingeareas including hinge members which enable the bearing surface orsurfaces to be arranged in a multiplicity of angular positions, andpreferably at least in one or more substantially horizontal positions,so as to extend the surface of a mattress at least laterally and/or inan at least substantially vertical position so that the bearing surfaceacts as a barrier or protection element closing at least one portion ofthe perimeter of the mattress, preventing babies, children, elderly,sick persons, etc. from falling to the ground. Hinge areas can be usedincluding hinge members enabling the bearing surface or surfaces to bearranged in a multiplicity of angular positions freely or in predefinedangular positions.

In one example, a motor may be provided. These motor may be or includean electric motor or a motor of any other type suitable to drive thebearing surface causing it to be rotated in the hinge area relative tothe bearing surface. A control module associated with said motor mayalso be provided. The motor can be controlled by the user through thiscontrol module, turning them on to rotate either the head, feet, sidebearing surface, etc. around the hinge area with respect to the supportstructure, and turning them off when the support surface has reached adesired angle, for example tilted, horizontally extended, verticallyextended, etc. The control module may be programmable for actuating thebearing surface at a particular time, for example for bringing the head,feet or any other part of the user's body back to a fully stretched bodyposition after a determined amount of time has elapsed from a tiltedposition. With this feature, for example, a user is advantageouslyprevented from falling asleep in an inadequate position, such as withthe head, feet, etc. excessively tilted. This control module can bearranged, as appropriate, at a distance away from the mattress and thefolding structure, and it could be operated by the user remotely. Remoteactuation for rotating the bearing surface relative to the supportstructure could be performed through an application by a mobile phone,tablet, laptop, etc. These options may be advantageous in medical,caregiving environments, etc.

With the folding structure that has been described herein, thecharacteristics of a mattress of any kind, whether it is conventional,existing on the market, or another, can be changed in a verycomfortable, easy, and fast way, providing great comfort to the user.With the present folding structure, a mattress of any type can beconverted into a mattress with at least one reclining surface(headboard, footboard, wing) the usable area of which can be extended.With the present folding structure, a mattress of any type can be alsomade to include a protective barrier closing at least one portion of theperimeter thereof in order to prevent a person from falling to theground.

The folding structure that has been described herein is external to themattress and its configuration allows for hinging a plane of themattress at any location of the perimeter thereof, that is, both fromthe perimeter towards the interior and from the perimeter towards theoutside. This feature is possible regardless of where the mattress isplaced.

The folding structure that has been described above can be applied toany type of mattress available on the market, regardless of whether anadditional topper mattress is provided. As it is a compact, simple,removable and therefore portable and cost effective structure, itrepresents an extremely useful innovation on a concept for rest.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A non-limiting example of a folding structure for mattresses accordingto the present disclosure is described below with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

In said drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one particular example of two foldingstructures applied on a mattress;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the folding structures in FIG. 1, shownoutside the mattress, for a better understanding,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a folding structure according to FIG. 1and FIG. 2, where it can be seen how the folding structure can be variedto fit the thickness of a mattress; and

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are schematic side elevational views of the example ofthe folding structure applied on a mattress illustrating the bearingsurface in different angular positions and with the hinge area alsoshown in different positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the non-limiting example shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, one or severalfolding structures 100 are illustrated. The folding structures 100 shownare intended to be applied on a conventional mattress 500, shown in FIG.1 and in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, so that they can be removed therefrom.

The folding structures 100 shown by way of an example have a bearingsurface 200 which is intended to place a person's head to rest (notshown). Other applications are also possible, such as for supportingperson's feet or for placing several objects on said support surface200, as if it were a removable bedside table.

The bearing surface 200 of the folding structure 100 is formed by asubstantially rigid plane, in the non-limiting example shown in thefigures. In said example, the bearing surface 200, which is intended toplace a person's head to rest, i.e. to act as a headboard, is formed bya substantially rigid plane intended to receive a part of a toppermattress (not shown). The bearing surface 200 could, however, be formedby a perimetric structure surrounding an at least substantially flexiblemember, such as fabric, etc.

The folding structure 100 that is shown further includes a supportstructure 300. The support structure 300 serves the purpose of removablycoupling the folding structure 100 to the mattress 500. In the exampleshown, the support structure 300 has two pairs of brackets. Each pair isformed by an upper bracket 305 and a lower bracket 310, which aredescribed below.

Although not shown in the figures, the support structure 300 couldinclude one or multiple brackets to join the brackets together andprovide greater stability, especially if the spacing between saidbrackets is large. It is envisaged that the section members may bejoined together even by a flat surface.

The upper bracket 305, in each pair of brackets, includes asubstantially horizontal section in one portion of which a hinge zone400 with the support surface 200 is formed. The bearing surface 200 maythus rotate about an axis passing through the hinge area 400 of eachupper bracket 305. In some particular instances, it is possible toinclude several fixed hinge areas 400 in a same support structure 300such that the bearing surface 200 is allowed to pivot in a suitableposition.

The substantially horizontal portion of the upper bracket 305 isintended to be supported on the upper surface of the mattress 500. Theupper bracket 305 in each pair of brackets further includes asubstantially vertical section arranged to form an angle ofapproximately 90° to the substantially horizontal section.

The example shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the hinge area 400 is in a fixedposition. However, such position may be variable, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5and 6. That is, a variable dimension could be defined so as to changethe position of the hinge area 400 of the support structure 300 with thebearing surface 200. Said dimension of the support structure 300 couldbe a separation distance between the hinge area 400 and one edge 505 ofthe mattress 500. By way of an example, the hinge area 400 could bearranged proximate the edge 505 of the mattress 500 or at a distanceaway from it as desired. This could allow the bearing surface 200 toprotrude from the contour of the mattress 500, if necessary.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings, it should be particularlyemphasised that, depending on the position of the hinge area 400, thefolding structure 100 may or may not allow the surface of the mattress500 to be extended. Thus, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the hingeportion 400 is in a remote position away from the edge 505 of themattress 500 towards the inside thereof at a distance equal to orsubstantially longer than one dimension of the bearing surface 200.Thus, by completely folding the bearing surface 200 on the mattress 500,said bearing surface 200 does not protrude therefrom, that is, it doesnot reach the edge 505 of the mattress 500. However, as it can be seenin the case of the example shown in FIG. 6, the hinge area 400 is in aposition outside the contour of the mattress 500, or even in a positionproximate the edge 505 of the mattress 500 but at a distancesubstantially less than one dimension of the bearing surface 200. Thus,by completely folding the bearing surface 200 on the mattress 500, asshown in FIG. 6, said bearing surface 200 protrudes therefrom, that is,it exceeds the edge 505 of the mattress 500 by a predetermined distance.In this way, the useful surface of the mattress 500 is expanded.

The lower bracket 310, in each pair of brackets, includes asubstantially horizontal portion intended to be below the lower surfaceof the mattress 500. This substantially horizontal portion could beconfigured to be inserted into a bed base, canapé or the like, wherenecessary. The lower bracket 310, in each pair of brackets, furtherincludes a substantially vertical section arranged forming an angle ofapproximately 90° to the substantially horizontal section.

With particular reference to FIG. 3 of the drawings, in each pair ofbrackets, the substantially vertical section of the upper bracket 305and the substantially vertical section of the lower bracket 310 areconfigured such that they can be joined to each other at differentportions thereof. This feature allows a dimension, corresponding in thiscase to the spacing between the substantially horizontal opposedsections of the same pair of brackets 305, 310, to be varied so that thefolding structure 100 can conveniently be adapted to the thickness ofthe mattress 500. By making the relative position of each pair ofbrackets 305, 310 capable of being varied such that the separationdistance can be modified, it is possible for the support structure 100to be adapted to any type of mattress available on the market and can beremoved from the mattress 500 in a quick, easy and comfortable way bythe user. Although not shown, a pressure member could be included toreduce the spacing between the substantially horizontal opposed sectionsof the same pair of brackets 305, 310. This pressure member would enablethe support structure 300 to be adjusted in a controlled manner to thethickness of the mattress 500 so that the folding structure 100 ismounted securely on the mattress 500 in the position of use.

The hinge area 400 of the support structure 300 allows the supportsurface 200 to be rotated at an appropriate angle within a range ofpossible angles, such as those represented by way of an example in FIGS.4, 5 and 6 of the drawings. Thus, the bearing surface 200 may beslightly rotated, as shown in FIG. 4, to slightly tilt the user's headto rest normally in the bed. Although in the illustrated example, thebearing surface 200 acts as a headboard, the subject matter hereof isnot limited to the inclination of the user's head but could be used toalternatively tilt other parts of the body such as the legs, the side,etc. The bearing surface 200 can be rotated to be arranged in a morevertical position, as shown in FIG. 5, to further tilt the user's head,e.g. for reading or watching TV on the bed. However, the bearing surface200 is fully rotatable, as shown in FIG. 5, so as to be fully horizontalin order to extend the surface of the mattress 500. In addition to thefolding positions of the bearing surface 200 shown by way of an examplein FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings, many other different angularpositions of the bearing surface 200 are possible including an at leastsubstantially vertical position so that the bearing surface 200 acts asa barrier or protective element closing at least one portion of theperimeter of mattress 500. This allows prevention of babies, children,elderly, sick people, etc. from accidentally falling to the ground.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, two foldable structures 100 are shownapplied to the same mattress 500. Each folding structure 100 has its ownbearing surface 200 hinged to two corresponding support structures 300,each formed by two pairs of brackets. With such configuration, amattress 500 that is provided with two independent headboards isobtained. However, the application of the present structure as afootboard, as a bedside table, etc. on the same mattress is not ruledout. The case where two bearing surfaces 200 share a support structure300, i.e., the case where three pairs of brackets are used for twoadjacent support surfaces 200, with the central pair of brackets beingshared, is not ruled out.

The non-limiting example shown in FIGS. 1-6 of the drawings allowshaving a reclining surface 200 in a same mattress 500, which can extendthe effective surface of the mattress 500 if required, to provide atleast one tilted surface for tilting the head, the feet or other part ofthe user's body, or even to provide a protective barrier by closing atleast one portion of the perimeter of the mattress 500 preventing aperson from falling to the ground. This is achieved with a structure 100which is comfortable, easy and quick to use, with a very simple andeffective configuration which can be removed from the mattress 500easily, conveniently and quickly at any time by the user.

Although only one example of a folding structure for mattresses has beendisclosed herein, other alternatives, modifications, uses and/orequivalents of said folding structure are possible for those skilled inthe art. The scope of the present disclosure should not be thereforelimited by the particular example described herein, but should bedetermined only by a fair reading of the claims that follow.

1. A folding structure for mattresses, the folding structure comprising: a bearing surface and a support structure, the support structure comprising at least one hinge area with the bearing surface, the support structure being configured to fit externally to and removably from a mattress.
 2. The structure according to claim 1, the support structure having a first dimension which is variable to fit the thickness of a mattress.
 3. The structure according to claim 1, the support structure having a second dimension which is variable to change the position of the hinge area.
 4. The structure according to claim 1, the bearing surface being formed by a substantially rigid plane.
 5. The structure according to claim 1, the bearing surface being formed by a perimetric structure surrounding an at least substantially flexible element.
 6. The structure according to claim 2, including a pressing member intended for reducing said first dimension to adjust the support structure to the thickness of the mattress.
 7. The structure according to claim 1, the hinge area being located proximate an edge of the mattress.
 8. The structure according to claim 1, the support structure being formed by at least one C-shaped section member configured for fitting the thickness of a mattress.
 9. The structure according to claim 1, the support structure being formed by at least one L-shaped section member configured for fitting the thickness of a mattress.
 10. The structure according to claim 8, the support structure comprising two section members.
 11. The structure according to claim 10, said section members of the support structure being connected by at least one cross member.
 12. The structure according to claim 1, the support structure having a lower portion configured to be inserted into a base of a bed base, canap{tilde over (e)} or the like.
 13. The structure according to claim 1, the bearing surface being configured for resting a person's head and/or feet.
 14. The structure according to claim 1, the bearing surface being configured for being arranged in a substantially horizontal position to at least laterally extend the surface of a mattress.
 15. The structure according to claim 1, the bearing surface being configured for being arranged in a substantially vertical position to act as a protective element.
 16. The structure according to claim 1, further including a motor for driving the bearing surface causing it to be rotated at the hinge zone with respect to the bearing surface. 